Strathe

All Roads Lead Here

Demographics

Strathe mainly consists of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves. The city is large enough that most of the common races are represented, however they are in limited quantity, and as such are often treated worse than the majority.
The three residential districts of Strathe are divided almost entirely by wealth:
Wesk Hill runs along the southern wall of Strathe, and lies adjacent to several important districts in the city. Full of the richest people in the city and many of the nicest shops, it is one of the major cultural centers of Strathe.
Lestol Row is the largest, densest district in Strathe. Home to the majority of the population, it is almost entirely a residential area with only a few bars and taverns breaking up the sea of homes.
The Skos Yard acts as the slums of Strathe, and almost all of the residents of this district are the poor, impoverished, or criminal. Much of the rest of Strathe would like to forget that the Skos Yard exists, evidenced by the lack of any sort of guard presence past the main roads.

Government

The council that runs Strathe has 3 positions, each with equal power. While legally they have the ability to unilaterally make decisions that affect laws and practices, the support of groups and high ranking individuals is important enough that most things are thoroughly discussed before anything is done.
Given it's strength as the largest and most industrious city in Dakar, the legal decisions made in Strathe have a very large effect in the towns and cities they trade with. Even though it has no true legal jurisdiction outside of its walls the threat of an embargo allows Strathe to enforce many of its laws in the other settlements of Dakar.
One of the major places one can see the city's bias in favor of its three major races is in its government system. The current laws require that each of the three seats be filled with one human, one elf, and one dwarf. This system was originally devised with the goal of equal representation during a time where almost every single citizen fell into one of those categories. However as time marches on and Strathe becomes more and more diverse, many people view it as a contentious law that further subjugates the minority races only to benefit those already in power.

Defences

The past few decades have been relatively peaceful for Dakar, but that does not mean that Strathe is ill-prepared to defend itself. As Strathe rose to its spot as a major city many years ago it surrounded itself with a large wall, towering above all but the tallest buildings within the city. In addition, the city sports a large guard force that works within the city as well as forming its outward facing military.
Many of the members of this guard force are trained from a very young age. Whether their parents submitted them or they were recruited for showing promise in one of Strathe's orphanages, being a member of the force is a highly respected calling in the city of Strathe, so the city never struggles to find new recruits.

Industry & Trade

Art and entertainment from Holden, and ore and stone from Falkirk, and food from Jedo and Barnsley are the major imports that sustain Strathe. These things are, however, also Strathe's main exports. The other towns and cities rely on Strathe's massive shipping infrastructure to move goods from one place to another.
Although the citizens of Strathe may be hesitant to admit this, the success of the city relies very heavily on nearby settlements that it trades with. It's economic power is based on its monopoly over the transportation of goods, however without the support of other settlements the city would be entirely unable to support its large population.
The average citizen will normally take on one of two roles in the economy of Strathe. They will either make a living in the massive shipping industry the city is known for, or they will instead work running one of the many shops in the Market District and Craftsmen's Corner selling imported goods to the people of Strathe.

Guilds and Factions

The only true guild of Strathe is the Adventurer's Guild. Acting as adventurers-for-hire, citizens of Strathe come to them with tasks that need completing, and the guild will assign adventurers to fulfill that task. Generally the requested tasks are small, although occasionally a large request will be put in that requires the effort of many members of the guild coming together.
Members of the Adventurer's Guild are given a number of benefits at both the Strathe chapter as well as other chapters found spread wide throughout the world. Beyond the simple ability to take jobs through the guild, members are given access to simple lodging when required as well as special deals on equipment that the guild has worked out with merchants throughout the city.
Outside of the Adventurer's Guild, the closest thing Strathe has to guild or factions are the various high ranking families that effect the city through their money and influence, making sure they are heard by the council by acting as another source of funding the city can call upon in times of need. These families most often gain their power through liberal distribution of gold. An example of this is the Hammermail family who made a fortune through their incredibly efficient shipping company. This is not always the case, however. On occasion families and individuals can gain influence in a city through other means such as a large public following or social connections.

Maps

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  Strathe

  A map of Strathe showing each of the districts.

Type

Large city

Population

324,753

Included Locations

• Hammermail Shipping
• The Wet Head Pub

Characters in Location

• Khali Hammermail
• Rosa Cartwright